About Air Aware

In 2022, the London Boroughs of Newham, Hackney, City of London and Tower Hamlets embarked on a collaborative project to address the issue of low public awareness around air pollution and how individuals can reduce their exposure to it. The project was supported by DEFRA’s Air Quality Grant and had clear objectives:

• To develop an interactive webtool that provides relevant air quality information in an easy-to-use and engaging way.
• To work in partnership with the communities most affected by poor air quality, establishing an air quality champions network and delivering community engagement activities and events. `

As part of this collaborative effort, OpenKit was entrusted with the task of building Air Aware. Their role was to build a webtool that achieved the project's objectives. The company:

• Developed a tool that provides accessible and relevant air quality information to the public.
• Engaged with the communities most affected by poor air quality, incorporating their feedback into the design and functionality of the tool.
• Ensured the tool complied with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 requirements, making it accessible to all users, including those with disabilities.
• Incorporated features such as real-time air quality data, a library of educational resources, and an AI assistant to answer questions related to air pollution.